Cow-milker



(No Model.)

S. AMSPAGKER. COW MILKER.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

SAMUEL AMSPACKER, OF MUDDY CREEK FORKS, PENNSYLVANIA.

COW-MILKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,611, dated September 1, 1891.

Application led September 26, 1890. Serial No. 366,244. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL AMsPAcKEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muddy Creek Forks, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cow-Milkers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for milking cows which shall operate upon the teats after the manner of the action of the human hand.

A further object is to construct such apparatus in a manner that it may be adapted for use upon two or the four teats at once. A further object is to construct such a milking-machine in a manner that will admit of its being readily adjusted to teats differently spaced upon the udder, and also of its being taken apart or disassembled to provide for easily and perfectly cleaning it.

In accordance with the above objects I construct a milking apparatus having two-chambers, in which teat pressing and pulling devices are arranged and move up and down alternately with an action resembling that of the human hands in milking, the movements of the two pressing and pulling devices loeing imparted by a single shaft and appropriate yielding intermediate mechanism. The shaft is adapted to be coupled with a duplicate apparatus to be operated therefrom to provide for acting upon the four teats at once. The chambers are adjustable to provide for properly spacing them to conform to the difference in location of the teats on the udders on different cows or upon the udder of the same cow. This adjustment and the disassembling of the apparatus are under the control of a single clamping device.

The parts and combinations of parts of the invention willbe described first, and then particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section; Fig. .2, a cross-Section; Fig. 3, an end elevation of the double machine, and Fig. t a perspective view of the catching and discharge basin.

a and Z; are side pieces connected by the bolt c and its thu mb-nut d, and the cross-bar e, the said bolt and cross-bar being arranged loosely in one side, so as to permit the separation of the sides for adjustment and disassembling, as will appear more fully hereinafter. Between the sides a l) are arranged two chambers f g, and these chambers are alike, and description of one will suflce for both. The chamber is composed of a back f and parallel sides f2, secured thereto, an inclined bottom f3 between the sides, and outlet f4 for the discharge of the milk, and a top plate f5, having an opening]O6 for the insertion of the teat. The chamber is secured between the sides by means of a rod h, passed transversely through the sides of the apparatus and the sides of the chamber and forming a pivot upon which the chamber may be moved. This rod h also serves to receive a movable and detachable end piece f7 of the chamber, the lower end of said end piece being provided 'with a notch or groove fX to embrace said rod, the upper end of said end piece flbeing secured to the top piece]5 by means of a catch f8, engagingthcgroove or nick]L10 in the under side of the top piece. The catchy8 is simplyaswin gin g catch pivoted to the end piece f 7. The end piece]7 is slottedlongitudinally at flo. On the inside of the end p'iecef7 and within the chamber is arranged a slide t', frictionally held to the said end piece by means of a bolt t', spring-washer i2, and nut 3, and the bolt t" extends through the slot f1 in the said end piecefl. This slide fr' is adapted to be moved up and down in the chamber f. The upper end of the slidei is beveled, and in a recess is provided a rubber or other elastic roller 4, and beneath the roller the said slide is recessed, as at i5, to permit the compression of the teatin milking. Two levers are pivoted to the slide 1I at 7" to rock thereon and to y be carried by said slide. In these levers is pivoted a rubber or other elastic roller jg, which cooperates with the roller t* in acting upon the teat. These levers extend across the chamber, and they also extend outside of the chamber and have pivoted in their ends a yokeji, which is pierced vertically to receive the stem k of a pitman 7o. Between the yoke js and an adjusting-nut k2 is arranged a spring 7c3 to render the action of the levers elastic. Instead of interposing a spring 7c3 between the yoke and the nut k2, I

erated by means of a lever or hand-piece n.l The rod 'L' projects through a slot 7a4 in the pitman, and at a certain period of the movement of the said pitman the said rod comes into contact with the upper end of said slot t-o effect the downward movement of the lever j and impart the pull to the teat, as indicated in the left-hand side of Fig. l. As indicated in the right-hand side of Fig. l, the said rod i." is at the bottom of the slot 7o4 when the levers j are in their -uppermost position to bey gin action upon the teat.

As clearly indicated in Fig. l, the apparatus is arranged to have one of the compressing and pulling devices to begin to engage a teat while the other one is acting upon it to discharge the milk, and this action is alternate.

While I prefer to employ rollers at i4 and j?, yet it is within my invention to employ stationary devices, and either or both maybe elastic or inelastic, although I prefer to einploy elastic bodies.

Milk is discharged into the chambers and flows through the openings f4 into a collecting and discharging pan o. This pan has its bottom curved by preference, so that the milk shall Iiow to and be discharged from the spout o into any suitable receptacle. The collecting and discharging chamber o is made with lateral flanges 02, which lit in grooves a and b in the sides a and b in such manner that the said pan may be readily withdrawn endwise from the machine for purposes of` Y may remark that by removing lthe nut d the machine may be taken apart or disassembled for-cleaning or other purposes. So, also, by disengaging the catch f8 from the notch f4 the end piece f7 may be swung outwardly and entirely removed, carrying with it all the connected partsand exposing the interior of the chamber for any desired purpose, and also to obtain access to the internal parts carried by said end piece.

In order to secure the apparatus to a cow, I employan elastic bandp, fastened to one of the side pieces p and adapted to be passed over the back of the cow and secured to the other side piece by means of a clipA p2, (see Fig. 3,)

the said clip p2 being provided with a button or 'other device p3, to which the free end of the band may be secured, as by eyelet-holes.

The elasticity of the band provides for the v automatic following of the apparatus close up to the udder as the latter is exhausted of milk. A handle or grip q is secured to one of the sides to enable the operator tosteady the apparatus and also to provide facility for handling it. In order to adapt the apparatus for duplication, so as to act upon the four teats at once, I duplicate the apparatus just described, exceptingthatI use a singlehandle n. Such duplication is shown in Fig. 3. The action of two apparatuses is effected by connecting the shaft m of one apparatus with a squared cavity m to receive a correspondingly-squared projection of the shaft m. A right. and left hand screw r is let into the adjacent side pieces of the two apparatuses to unite them, and also to serve as means for separating them laterally to properly space them with respect to the arrangement of the teats upon the udder. Ordinarily it will not be necessary to vinclose the outer ends of the chambers f and g; but if necessary an vouter wall may be applied to each, and such outer wall may be made removable at pleasure.

The operation is as follows: In l while the parts in chamber g are shown in correct position at the end of the downstroke lthe parts in chamber f are not quite in the highest position, and the position chosen in the said figure for the said parts in-chamberf is selected in order to prevent obscurity of parts. The View, however, is suflicient to illustrate the operation. The teat is inserted in the opening f6, and the levers .7` are elevated until IOO they come in contact with and "embrace the said teat between the rollers jg and 4. Upon the beginning of the downward movement the levers are tilted, so that the roller 1'2 lrises and approaches the teat laterally until it vcompresses the said teat between itself and the roller 4 and into the cavity 5, and upon the further descent of the parts this pressure is increased until the rod t" comes in -contact IIC) with the end of the slot 7a4, and then the full springs 70+ 76+, will yield, and the -yoke ja willV rise against the pressure of 'saidsprings and take off any undue pressure that would otherwise result upon the teat. Of course after the full limit of the downward ymotion has 'been reached then the lever is reversed and the parts rise, and as they rise the leversj are given a reverse-movement-aud release the teat in readiness to obtain-a fresh holdrfor the next succeeding down movement.

It will'be understood from the foregoing'description that the pitmen 7o" give tothe levers j their original rocking motion, and that the slides when engaged through rods "i" with the pitm en give to the said leversj the pulling motion, and also serve to elevate them after the completion of the downstroke.

What I claim isl. A milking apparatus comprising two chambers arranged between suitable supporting sides and each containing a teat compressing and pulling device composed of rocking levers carried by a slide, the said levers and slide containing devices to engage a teat, means to rock said levers, and a connection between the slide and said rocking means to raise and lower the said levers, substantially as described.

2. Amilking device composed of sides, two chambers arranged between said sides and supported thereby, a teat compressing and pulling device arranged in each of said chambers and including slides upon which the said teat compressing and pulling devices are mounted, a rocking lever, and pitmen connecting said lever and teat compressing and pulling devices, and a projection from each of the slides engaged periodically by the said pitrnen, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a cow-milking device, a chamber into which the teat is inserted, a teat pulling and compressing device, a slide upon which the said teat pulling and compressing device is mounted to rock, and a rocking device therefor, consisting of a rock-shaft, a pitinan attached to said level', a yoke mounted upon said pitman and engaging the teat pulling and compressing device, and a suitable number of springsinterposed between the said pitman and the yoke, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a milking apparatus, a chamber and teat pulling and compressing devices, combined with a movable end of said chamber, to which the said teat pulling and compressing devices are attached, and whereby access may be had to the inside of the chamber, substantially as described.

5. In a milking apparatus, two milkingchambers and teat pulling and compressing devices in each, combined with sides between which said chambers are arranged and a transverse bolt connecting the sides and serving to clamp the chambers between the sides in any given position and to permit the ready disassemblin g of the apparat-11s, substantially as described.

6. A milking apparatus composed of two independent sets of milking chambers and teat pulling and compressing devices, an operating-shaft common to both, and an adjusting device interposed between the two sets to properly space them, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day ot' September, A. D. 1890.

SAMUEL AMSPACKER.

Witnesses:

DANIEL B. MINNICH, SETH MINNICH. 

